Category: New Single

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of Nate J. (vocals, bass), Ali Abbas (guitar) and Kirk Power (drums), Calgary, AB-based post-punk/darkwave/chillwave trio Ultrviolence have quickly developed a reputation for a moody, post-punk sound that’s indebted to Joy Division, New Order, Interpol, Viet Cong and others and for adhering to the sort of DIY principles that led them to ignore the clichés and dictates of the major recording industry machine. Now over the past couple of months the Canadian post-punk trio have become one of my new favorites as I’ve written about “Better Learn How to Swim,” and “Radiation,”  the first two singles off the Canadian  trio’s soon-to-be released EP Black Sea; in fact, both singles manage to remind me quite a bit of Turn On The Bright Lights-era Interpol — in particular, I think of “Untitled,” “NYC” and “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down.”

Much like “Radiation,” “Untitled,” will further cement the trio’s reputation for moody and angular post-punk with anthemic hooks — but while arguably being the most propulsive and forceful songs they’ve released to date.

 

 

 

 

Earlier this month, I wrote about Calgary, AB-based indie rock/darkwave/New Wave/post-punk trio Ultrviolence. Comprised of Nate J. (vocals, bass), Ali Abbas (guitar) and Kirk Power (drums), the Canadian trio have quickly developed a reputation for a moody post-punk sound that’s reminiscent of contemporary acts like Interpol, Viet Cong and others, and for adhering to DIY principles as they’ve played in countless basements and tiny clubs across the continent, using battered instruments and battered instruments and ignoring the cliches and dictates of the recording industry machine. Now you might recall that i wrote about “Better Learn How to Swim,” a moody yet swooningly Romantic song off their forthcoming Black Sea EP that manages to be reminiscent of Turn On The Bright Lights-era Interpol — in particular, I think of “Untitled,” “NYC” and “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down” — as the band pairs a sinuous bass line, angular and shimmering guitar chords and an dramatic, anthemic hook with Nate J’s aching baritone.

Black Sea‘s latest and single ” Radiation” will further cement the Canadian trio’s burgeoning reputation for crating dark and moody post-punk/New Wave/darkwave-leaning rock while gently expanding upon the sound that initially captured my attention — the band pairs Nate J’s expressive and yearning baritone with ethereal synths, shimmering guitar chords played through copious reverb, and a driving rhythm consisting of four-on-the-floor drumming and propulsive bass chords. Sonically, the new single manages to clearly draw influence from the likes of the aforementioned Turn On The Bright Lights-era Interpol, Joy Division and New Order — but with as subtle twist on a familiar sound.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Kristin Henry (vocals) and Brad Boettger (production), Seattle, WA-based  duo NAVVI have developed a reputation for crafting brooding and propulsive electro pop; in fact, the duo have had their work appear on a compilation curated by renowned French electronic label Kitsune, and they’ve received press from a variety of media outlets including NME, Brooklyn Vegan, Impose, The Line of Best Fit and Jay Z’s Life+Times, among others. Building on the early buzz they’ve received, the Seattle-based duo will be releasing their long-awaited full-length debut Omni on May 27 through Hush Hush Records.

“Close,” Omni‘s first single is a gorgeously minimalist bit of electro pop that has the duo pariing Henry’s sultry and intimately breathy coos bubbling over a sleek and hyper-modern production consisting of crisp, yet stuttering drum programming, ambient, swirling electronics, bleeps, bloops and boops, layers of shimmering and buzzing synths. and a propulsive groove. Sonically and thematically “Close” reminds me quite a bit of BRAIDS’ impressive Flourish//Perish and Octo Octa’s Between Both Selves as the single possesses a bracing chill that belies an urgent, swooning and yearning Romanticism at its core.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of Keko (vocals), Oscar Poncell (vocals, tiple), Robert Douglas Sola (bass), Lazaro Ernesto Pompa (bass), Lachlan McLean (sax), Jethro Negron (drums), Nick Ryan Glennie (trumpet), and Marcelo La Greca (guiro and vocals), Melbourne, Australia-based Latin music nonet San Lazaro features bandmembers, who claim heritage from all over the Spanish speaking world — including Chile, Cuba, Catalonia and elsewhere. And as a result, the Australian act have developed a reputation for a sound that draws from reggaeton, salsa, Cuban son, 70s New York salsa, 60s Peruvian cumbia and seamlessly meshes them in a way that feels and sounds both familiar and alien. In fact, the act have developed a reputation for being one of Melbourne’s preeminent Latin music acts, as the band’s 2012 release Clave contra Clave helped the band win Best Australian Latin Band, and their single “Muchacho Tranquilo” was included on the 2014 Rough Guide to Psychedelic Salsa compilation.

The band’s latest effort La Despedida (translated from Spanish to English as “The Farewell”) thematically focuses on breakups, loss, insomnia, protests and more,  and interestingly enough, the band has broken up and reconvened several times, which gives the material a deeper, more personal weight.  La Despedida’s latest single “Amor De Despedida” is a propulsive song that swoons with heartache while being a bit of a kiss of towards a partner, who the narrator is glad to see leave. But most important, the band plays with a cool, self-assuredness through a song that structurally goes through a trippy tempo change at its bridge before returning to its dance floor-ready sound.

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Brian Eno’s Gorgeously Ambient Cover of The Velvet Underground

Wap More than enough ink has been spilled throughout Brian Eno’s nearly 50 year musical career, so delving deeply through his backstory will largely be unnecessary and beyond the scope of this particular post. But […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Dmitri Manos is a Tucson, AZ-based multi-instrumentalist, electronic music artist and producer, whose solo recording project American Monoxide has quietly built a profile for specializing in analog electronic instrumentals that manage to be somewhat abrasive, trashy and funky as you’ll hear on “Hot Lava Express,” the first single off his forthcoming sophomore full-length effort Web Content, a single that has the producer and multi-instrumentalist pairing industrial boom-bap beats, tumbling electronic bloops, beeps and bleeps, scorching synths, Nile Rodgers-inspired funk guitar chords to craft a song that’s simultaneously offbeat yet funky as hell.

Multiple labels are involved in the June 10, 2016 release — and it’s arguably the most complex release I’ve come across in the almost six year history of this site: the vinyl version of the album will be released through People In A Position To Know Recordings (PIAPTK), Solid Gold Records, Almost Halloween Time Records, Wooden Tooth Records, Shot By A Fan Records, Hocus Bogus Records, Lazy Boy Recording Company and Baby Gas Mask Records. All the labels pitched in on the cost of manufacturing with each label creating different packaging for their particular release — some labels plan on doing variations of the album cover art, while others are including bonus material such as special release cassettes, lathe cut albums, zines and posters, etc. The cassette will be released through PIAPTK and Wooden Tooth Records while the electronic version will be self-released.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Promise Keeper is a London-based producer and electronic music artist, who has started to receive attention across the blogosphere for a sound that draws from classic Chicago house, blue-eyed soul and electro pop as you’ll hear on his sleek, dance floor ready, second single  “Side Decide,” which pairs breathily cooed vocals with a production consisting of twinkling and shimmering synths, staccato drum programming and swirling and ambient electronics.

 

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Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

VOKES is the solo recording project of Los Angeles, CA-based singer/songwriter and producer Mike Harris. And according to Harris, his latest single “Slow Down” draws from two different experiences. “For me, ‘Slow Down’ represents two stories,” Harris explains in press notes. “The first story I originally wrote was about being naïve in a relationship, splitting up for the wrong reasons and realizing what a terrible mistake was made. The second story that eventually became the focus of the song is about two strangers, who quickly fall for each other, while one person feels hesitant to move forward because of being on the receiving end of the first story.”  Sonically Harris evokes confusion through lush and shimmering synths and a sinuous bass line for the verses, which gives the song an ethereal buoyancy reminiscent of Rush Midnight while the chord changes around the song’s chorus and bridge convey the awkward and understandable tension at the core of the song’s narrative. Adding to the complex and confusing array of emtions expressed within the song, there’s a hopeful sense among the song’s characters that with a bit more maturity and experience under their belts, that this time may be different.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Perhaps best known as a member of Karen, The Late Late Show with James Corden house band fronted by Reggie Watts and a weekly residency with Watts at El Cid, drummer and vocalist Guillermo E. Brown’s solo musical project Pegasus Warning has received musical industry nods through collaborations with an impressive list of artists including Twin Shadow, Das Racist, Gordon Voidwell, Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor, Saul Williams, Mocky, Spoek Mathambo and others.

“Come Close” Brown’s latest single is about longing, “that oh-so-human feeling of missing someone to the brink of collapse like singing in the rain in the desert,” as Brown explains in press notes, and as a result his vocals possesses an urgent and plaintive need and an aching vulnerability. Paired with cascades of shimmering synths and a sinuous bass line, the single is both ethereal and undeniably sensual — and in fact, manages to channel Quiet Storm-era R&B. Or simply put, you should play this the next time you plan to have a romantic evening of naughty fun with that someone special.

 

 

 

 

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: El Dusty’s Anthemic and Club Banging, Cinco De Mayo-Inspired, New Single

Corpus Christi, TX-based producer, DJ and electronic music artist, Horacio Olivera, best known as  El Dusty has a long-held reputation as the pioneer of a revolutionary, new subgenre that he’s dubbed “nu-cumbia” as it possesses elements of […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Born in Elst, a small village in the Utretcht Province of The Netherlands, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marjan Alise Theodora van Viegan, best known as iET (pronounced as “eet”) discovered at an early age that music could be used as a way to transport herself to a different reality outside of her small village life — and as a result, van Viegan gradually wanted to connect with the world outside of her small village. Certainly, even as Americans there’s something about van Viegan’s story that feels — well, deeply universal. After all, how many of us have desperately yearned for something more in our personal and professional lives?

With the release of her debut EP The Kitchen Recording Series 1, which was literally recorded in her own kitchen, van Viegan caught the attention of several artists including Bonobo’s Szjerdene and Pink Oculus, with whom she collaborated on The Kitchen Recording Series 2. The Kitchen Recording Series 2 eventually caught the attention of Grammy Award winning producer and engineer Russell Elevado, best known for his work with D’Angelo and Erykah Badu, who offered to work with van Viegan debut effort, So Unreal, an effort that received international praise for it’s meshing of a variety of sounds and styles including electro pop, soul, singer/songwriter confessionals and more.

Friday will mark the release of So Unreal‘s follow up, the Inhale EP and the effort is reportedly a change in sonic direction and aesthetic for the Dutch singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist as van Viegan wanted to go for a much more intimate and direct sound. Co-produced by van Viegan and her friend and frequent collaborated Budy Mokognita, the album features van Viegan writing and recording most of the EP’s material herself with her collection of vintage instruments and gear, including her guitar, trumpet and double bass, which she inherited from her uncle and a recently acquired 1930s Schimmel upright piano.

Much like Inhale‘s first single “Inhale Your Love,” the EP’s latest single “As She Moved” focuses on an atmospheric and straightforward songwriting and sonic approach as van Viegan’s ethereal and sultry coos with a propulsive drum programming, cascading and swirling keyboard chords, handclap-led percussion, gently undulating bass and strummed guitar in a carefully crafted, swaggering song that owes a debt to experimental pop, neo-soul and rock simultaneously while revealing a songwriter who has an innate ability to write a subtle yet infectious hook.

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of his debut single “Color Decay,” Westman Islands, Iceland-based singer/songwriter Júniús Meyvant quickly received attention across Iceland, Scandinavia and elsewhere for an old-school soul, funk, pop-inspired sound. “Color Decay” hit number 1 on the Icelandic charts and as a result of the single’s success, Meyvant dominated that year’s Icelandic Music Awards as he was nominated for Best Newcomer, Best Song and Best Male Singer — and he wound up winning the Best Newcomer and Best Song awards. Building on that buzz he was receiving across Scandinavia, Meyvant had a relentless touring schedule playing a number of sold out shows across the European Union. And naturally, the attention lead to airplay on Radio X, BBC Radio London, Amazing Radio — and the song being chosen by KEXP’s Program Director Kevin Cole as his Song of The Year.

“Neon Experience” Meyvant’s latest single will further cement the Icelandic singer/songwriter’s growing reputation for a sound that possesses elements of old-school soul, pop and funk as Meyvant’s silky falsetto is paired with a mid-tempo arrangement of warm blasts of horn, a gorgeous and dramatic string arrangement, twinkling keys, soul guitar and bass chords, infectiously anthemic hooks and a slow-burning and sultry bridge. Then add an uplifting and resilient message that will likely push you through the doldrums and the song sounds as though it’s indebted to the work of the Daptone Records roster — while subtly nodding at the work of Simply Red and Chet Faker as Meyvant and company pair a tight and funky groove with carefully crafted, introspective and thoughtful lyrics.

Meyvant’s highly-anticipated full-length debut Floating Harmonies is slated for a July 8, 2016 release through Record Records, and the Icelandic singer/songwriter will be supporting the album with a live at London’s Bushstock Festival on June 18 and a tour across the European Union during the fall.

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

Comprised of Nik Rayne, Grant Beyschau, Cody Schwartz, Connor Gallaher and Miguel Urbina, the Tucson, AZ-based quintet The Myrrors have been releasing material under a rather dark and mysterious cloak — and that shouldn’t be terribly surprising as their sound is equally dark and mysterious. Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past year or so, you may recall that I wrote about “Dome House Music,” a single off Arena Negra that reminded me of The Black Angels‘ Directions to See a Ghost and the Silber Records roster as “Dome House Music” slowly built up into a trance-like groove with blasts of saxophone floating and darting through the mix of a song that sounds as though it could inspire a shamanic ritual.

The Tucson, AZ-based quintet’s forthcoming album Entranced Earth is slated for a May 27 release through renowned psych rock label Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records, and the album’s latest single “No Clear Light” will further cement the quintet’s reputation for crafting dark and moody psych rock as the band pairs shimmering guitar chords with plaintively moaned vocals, warm bursts of flute and feedback. And while arguably being one of the most hauntingly and eerily beautiful songs they’ve released, it’s also the darkest one they’ve released to date; in fact, the song sounds as though it should be part of the soundtrack of a psychological thriller about a mass murderer; you should be able to picture the murderer as he’s stalking his innocent victims . ..

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of its frontmen Manchester, UK-born and Paris-based David Shaw and Paris-born and based Dombrance, along with Guilluame Rosel (percussion) and Victor Paillet (bass), the Paris-based electronic music collective DBFC emerged onto the French electronic music scene with the release of several singles through renowned indie label Her Majesty’s Ship Records last year. Building on the attention they’ve already received the collective’s latest single “Automatic,” which was recently released through Different Recordings will further cement the act’s reputation for crafting slickly produced electronic music that’s indebted to French electronic music and to Kraftwerk as the French collective’s latest single has the act pairing cascading layers of shimmering and undulating synths with a driving, motorik groove and ethereally cooed vocals bubbling up and then floating over the mix in a song that sounds indebted to Kraftwerk’s “Trans Europe Express” and Primal Scream‘s “Autobahn 66” — but with a subtle cosmic glow around its edges.

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

 

With the release of their debut effort Dreaming, the Brooklyn-based trio Graveyard Lovers — comprised of Zach Reynolds (vocals, guitar), Tricia Purvis (drums) and Joel Reynolds (bass, guitar) — quickly received national attention for a sound that was compared favorably to the likes of Pixies, Sonic Youth and others. Building upon the buzz of their debut, the band’s music has been heard in a variety of movies and TV series including Showtime’s Shameless — and they’ll be releasing their album Past The Forest Of The Fruitless Thoughts in two parts, with part one in June and part two slated for release later this year. Part one’s first single “Told A Lie” will further cement the Brooklyn trio’s growing reputation for crafting 90s alt rock-inspired indie rock as the band pairs layers of jangling and buzzing guitars, throbbing bass lines and plaintive vocals with incredibly anthemic hooks — but with some electronics towards the bridge to add a subtly modern touch to a familiar and winning formula.

The band will be playing a Thursday night residency at Piano’s in the Lower East Side with one of the shows celebrating the release of “Told A Lie.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Comprised of American-born vocalist Rose Suau, best known for her work in synth pop act Shoestrings and Swedish-born multi-instrumentalist and producer  Johan Angergård, best known for his work with Club 8, synth pop side project Djustin can trace their origins to when the duo, who noticed an eerily parallelism in their lives — both are middle children, born in the same year and under the same astrological sign and have identical record collections — started with a mutual admiration of each other’s various musical projects, back in the late 90s. Suau and Angergård started writing each other lengthy letters about love, life, pop music and other subjects. Naturally, those letters turned to emails  –and although both Suau and Angergård went on to form several other musical projects including Pallers, Invisible Twin and The Legends, the duo continued a regular correspondence.

Now as the story goes, although Suau and Angergård had corresponded with each other for years and begun to really know each other, they had never met; however, last fall when Angergård was looking for a vocalist and lyricist for a new musical, side project the first person he thought of was Suau. As Angergård explains in press notes “I love the soulful sensualism in Rose’s voice and figured she’d be perfect for the project. I’m pretty used to writing everything myself and wanted to see what would happen if I did things in new ways. So, I took the chance and sent a couple of tracks over to Rose with me singing gibberish. A week later she dropped a recording of the finished vocals and it was…well, just lovely.”

Tryst, the duo’s soon-to-be released debut EP is slated for a May 13 release through Labrador Records, and the EP’s latest single “Concrete” pairs Angergård’s production consisting of cascading and undulating layers of synths and propulsive boom-bap beats and a razor sharp hook with Suau’s suggestive and sultry vocals in a swooning yet moody song that thematically focuses on lust, obsession and heartbreak. And while nodding at both house music and 80s synth pop, the single possesses a contemporary and radio friendly sheen.